so im new to this but i have been wanting to go to burningman for a few yrs now and this yr it might just happen! my name is amy i am 22 And from albany ny. Im trying to decide weather to drive down or hop a plane? im thinking drive would be wise and very exciting, see how much trouble i can get into on the way there haha :P but what i would realy like to know is if anyone from albany or close to albany is going so feel free to shoot me a e-mail or message

thanks a whole bunch and look forward to all the advice you have to share

Hi Amy! Welcome aboard!
Albany is a long-ass drive, and expensive with gas prices....but its so hard to carry 8 bottles of Vodka, a camping stove, tent, and three furry coats on an airplane. Click on the little title called "Regionals" [near where you found e-playa] and see if you can get a bunch of upstaters to commander an old bus and make a three day journey out to the Playa like the Merry Pranksters (or Partridge Family) neither of which you're likely old enough to remember, I suppose.

flexie360 wrote:from albany ny. Im trying to decide weather to drive down or hop a plane

I'm from Rochester and drove out for 3 years now. I think it's a lot of fun (and the country moves by faster than you might think). It takes me about 40 hours to get to Denver (on my own -- last year my girlfriend and I went and we drove pretty much 24 hours, cutting the time to about 32 hours). I generally stop there because my brother and a friend live there. Then it's another 30 hours or so to Burning Man.

It's about 3,000 miles from Rochester to Burning Man (and a relatively inconsequential 200 more from Albany) and the 70 hours I do includes sleep, gas, breaks, and about an hour to buy booze and food in Nevada -- I've learned to love Smith's in Elko, NV on I-80: open 24 hours, and in NV you can get liquor at the grocery store.

Especially if you're planning to drive alone, skip the stimulants and just drive until you're tired then sleep in a rest area until you're not. Once you get halfway through Ohio it's pretty much given that people crash in rest areas. (Unless you're staying in hotels or with friends, I guess). I found it to be useful to learn my body's cycles so on the way back when I'm delusional and beyond tired â€” unable to even be aware of being tired â€” that I can remember to at least try and stop and sleep. Every year there's somebody who drives off the highway at 90 in the middle of the night in Nevada, which instantly transforms them into a tragic, gooey mess. Emergency services can take hours just to drive from the nearest town to whatever unnamed gulch they need to find.